Building construction



Sept. 18, 1951 J. R. swlsHl-zR, SR., ET AL 2,568,133

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 19, 1946 Patented Sept. 18, 1951 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Joseph R. Swisher, Sr., and Joseph R. Swisher, Jr.,

, Decatur, Ill. Y

Application June 19, 1946, Serial No. 677,782

2 Claims.

This invention relatesV to building construction,

and it has special reference to mating structural elements for pre-fabricated buildings.

One object of the invention is to provide structural elements of pre-fabricated form having means whereby they may be interconnected tO insure a rigid, dependable joint.

Another object is to provide means whereby such structural elements may be securely connected when assembled, but serving to facilitate their disconnection for re-use.

A further Object is to provide an assembly of such structural elements in which the connecting means for their assembly may be concealed, thus avoiding the appearance upon exterior surfaces of the elements of unsightly nails, bolts, screws and the like.

A still further object is to provide structural elements, such as exterior and interior walls, partitions and the like, in which relatively inexpensive materials may be used without impairing the strength and appearance of the completed building.

Still another object is to provide structural elements which` can be linishedat the mill or `other place Of manufacture and thus shipped, ready for assembly, at the site of erection without the necessity of tting and lining or facing on the job.

A further object is to provide a corner connection means for walls formed of pre-fabricated building elements wherein the wall elements meeting at a corner have interengaging members capable of being securely interlocked to form a corner having a strength comparable to that afforded by hitherto accepted construction methods. while at the same time making possible ready disassembly.

Although the invention is primarily adapted to the production of pre-fabricated structural elements for wooden buildings, and will be described hereinafter in this particular adaptation, it is to be understood that materials other than wood, or combinations of wood and other materials, may be employed, as is common in the construction of buildings Of various types for various purposes.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the mating ends of two structural elements in position for assembly at a wall corner in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the corner joint assembled and completed,

Fig.3 is a transverse section taken through the corner joint of Figs. 1 and 2 and showing the securing means therefor, and f Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing an adaptation Of the joint of the invention to thev erection and assembly of partition-forming elements.

It will be apparent from the drawing that the invention employs a tongue and groove connection for the basic principle of the joints or connections between the structural elements, whether the joints are embodied in corners, in partition assemblies, or otherwise. It is primarily in the mode and means of connection of the parts of the joint, whereby the same may be easily, securely and rigidly assembled, and may be disassembled when desired, that the novelty of the invention resides, as will be explained hereinafter more fully and finally claimed. y 4

Having reference particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, it will be seenthat the wall sections or elements a and b comprise studs and inner and outer lining or sheathing members, all of more or less conventional form, the latter of which may be plywood, wall board, siding, clapboard, shingles, or other appropriate natural or synthetic material.

Adjacent to the corner-forming edge of the element a are arranged two studs I and 2 spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of a stud and held thus positioned by the inner and outer lining members 3 and 4, respectively, which are secured to them by nails 5 (Fig. 3) or other suitable fastening means, thus forming a groove or channel.

The corner-forming edge of the element b has an end-adjacent stud 6 to which the inner and outer lining members 'I and 8, respectively, are aixed by nails 9 or the like, and to this stud is axed edgewise, preferably by bolts I0 (Fig. 3), a piece, or a plurality of pieces, of studding II furnishing a tongue or spline for insertion in the groove or channel provided by the spaced studs I and 2.

It is to be noted that, due to the standard width and thickness of the studs (approximately 3% x 15/;) and the fact that the tongue stud Il has its inner side flush with the inner edge of the stud 6 to which it is affixed. the studs 6 and 2, when brought into assembled relation in the corner joint, will leave a space I2 of approximately between the outer face of the stud 2 and the outer edge of the stud 6. A filler strip I3 is attached to the outer face of the stud 2 at its outer corner to bring a portion of this outer face flush. with the outer edge of the stud 6.

Obviously, the opposite edges of the elements a and b may be furnished, respectively, with a tongue and a groove to make them interchangeable, or they may, respectively have tongues or grooves at both ends, dependent upon the design and type of building for which they are adapted.

When the corner joint is assembled, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the tongue II of element b is slipped into thegroove of elementa and nails; preferably double-headed nails. I4, orspil-:es,.ofa length suicient to pass through the stud 2 and tongue II and into the stud I,`are drivenx in to penetrate the studs and tongue. and fasten. the corner joint together, the heads ofthe nails I4 being received within the` space;r I2.. There.- after a corner face plate or finish strip I5;isI applied to the filler strip I3 and the outer edgev of the stud 6 and nailed or otherwise fastened' thereto, and a corner bead I6 is applied to finish the corner. n It .will be understoodthat as many, bolts` I0. and nails `or spikes Idfmay be used. in suitablyspaced arrangement longitudinally, of the studs. as may be required by the height of the wall in order to provide adequate strength in thejoint. Also, preferably, the wall elements. are erectedV upon and secured to the customary foundationbr. bottom plates, and .top platesmay be. applied'to them after their assembly is` completed.

Thewall elements as described'. may be completed atandfurnished bythe millas structural units, and the spaces between the studs may be lled with insulating material; preferably in bat or strip form. if' desired.

In'utilizingvth'e joint of the invention in the erection of' partitions, as shown 'inFigt 4, the tongue member I'Ia maybe applied to anyiwa'll stud'a and the groove formed end Ia-2a offthe partition element a fitted thereupon and secured by nails or spikes Idd, whereafter a` finish strip Illa may be secured in place.

'In order to disassembleA the joint, whether at a corner or in a partition` construction; itY is necessaryY merely to 'remove the member` I5'` or I5a, withdraw the nailsfor-spikes--Mlor- Maf-and disconnectl the` tongue` andgroove joint. Obviously, however, l inthecaseoapartition-it-may; and probablywill; be necessaryto' detach' some parts of the' inner' wall' lining-*inorder t'o'dis cizinnectzthek tongue and groove;

Various` changeswand' modifications are' considered to 'be'within the principle of theinventionl and-the scopeA of the following-claims.

`Wh'at'fwe claim isa L In building construction;'twocomplemental structural elements each including studs and iriner and outer sheathing members, and means for effecting a separable connection of said elements in a relationship substantially normal to each other, said means including in one of said elements two studs arranged in spaced relation and in relatively close proximity and secured to the outer sheathing member to provide between them a`I groove; theY inner sheathing`v member terminatingshort ofsaidlgroova `altorigue memberI formed of a stud affixed to and offstanding from a stud ofthe other element and engaged in said groove, said. tonguemember having its inner face substantiallyflush with the inner edge of the stud to. which.it -is'.-aflxed,and fastening means pen- .etrating at least the outer one of the grooveforming studsr and the tongue member, all of saidstudsbeingl of standard cross-sectional dimensions having a width greater than twice their thickness, whereby the combined thickness of the outeroneof thetwo studsforming said groove plus the. thickness oflthe tongue member, when engaged in saidgroove, willbe'less than the width of the stud to. which the tongue member, is affixed, thus vproviding a portionof' said* last named stud offstanding beyond' theface of vthe outergrooveforming"stud to `produce aspace` bei tween said offstanding portion' and said'studr'face; saidspacefurnishinga recess within which-the heads of said fastening means` are received, and a finisl'r strip ebearing'upon a-nd-l beingsecured to the stud to which saidv tongue-member' isaiXed anditheV outer stud ofisaid groove and arranged insubstantially thef plane ofl thevl sheathing 4ot saidilast-named -elemeritand-covering-` said recess to conceal the#fastening-means,l saide` nish. strip beingv removable` for,v access: to the= underlyingfastening means.

2. In building constructionias claimed iniclaim l, fillery strip means-of a. thickness. substantially equal totheeextent; of projection ofthe oifstand: ing por-tion. ofi' Yt-he ...tongue -loearingl .studand-Ser cured tozthef said if ace fofethe; grooye-forming-:stnd to provide a bearing for said finish strip.l

JQSEPHfJR. `SWISH-ER. SR; Y AJQSIEIPYH R. SWISHER,.Ia-i

:announces .cuan

'The following references-areofrecord -in th le of this patent:

UNITED STATES EATENTS 

